bonne nuit, beauté
bonne nuit, beauté is the French way to say "good night, beautiful".
This phrase is a romantic or affectionate way to say goodbye to someone before they go to sleep.
Which one should you use?
While bonne nuit, beauté is a direct way to say "good night, beautiful", you may also encounter Bonne nuit, ma belle, which translates to "good night, my beautiful" and is a very common, slightly more natural-sounding informal way to address a woman. Additionally, Dors bien, beauté. is used to say "sleep well, beauty".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more informal and popular choice among couples or close friends, use bonne nuit, ma belle. If you wish to be sophisticated and elegant, you can use the formal Bonne nuit, belle dame, which means "Good night, beautiful lady".
Did you know?
- If you are still in a restaurant or a café at sunset, do not say bonne nuit to the waiter. Use bonsoir instead, as bonne nuit is reserved exclusively for the moment one actually heads to bed.
- In French, calling someone ma belle can sometimes be perceived as patronizing or overly familiar if the two people are not already close, regardless of the romantic intent.
- The word beauté evolved from the Vulgar Latin *bellitātem, which comes from the Latin bellus meaning 'beautiful' or 'fair'.
Example conversation
Nathan and Léa are saying goodbye before bed.
- NathanJe vais me coucher maintenant.I am going to bed now.
- LéaMoi aussi, je suis fatiguée.Me too, I am tired.
- NathanBonne nuit, beauté.Good night, beautiful.
- LéaBonne nuit, Nathan.Good night, Nathan.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beauté, nuit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
